Smart Apologies Should Be Strategic
There is so much written about how women apologize too much, politicians never apologize enough, and how to apologize without looking weak. But, this article offers a simple strategy that could build stronger trust or at least not make things worse.It begins with a famous mistake made by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings who sent out an 11th hour post and video apologizing for how he messed up announcing the formation of the "Qwikster" business to run Netflix's DVD network. Millions of people didn't believe his sincerity as Reed was smiling the entire time. This to me is the challenge - offering an apology, as I talk about in this month's blog, has the potential to improve or destroy trust in a relationship. Using Netflick's CEO's blunder to highlight what he could have done better includes:
- Keep it simple - state the mistake in plain language, i.e. "We missed the deadline.";
- Mean what you say and say what you mean - rather than smile and make excuses, the CEO should have just stated what they will do to fix the problem;
- Reaffirm core values and commitments - now is the time to share how the company intends to bring the business back to its core values.
While I hope you don't make any big blunders, it is always better to be prepared in case as we are all going to mess up sooner and later. This strategy has increased my confidence and helped me let go of my fear of not being perfect. What is your idea of a smart apology?